On Wednesday 11 February, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, expressed scepticism about the holding of elections in Ukraine, which is facing constant Russian attacks.
Earlier in the day, the Financial Times reported that Ukraine, under pressure from the United States, was considering holding a presidential election and a referendum on a potential peace agreement with Russia before mid-May.
“Organising elections while the war is still raging is absolutely not a good solution,” stressed Ms Kallas ahead of the EU Defence Council meeting. “Organising elections fuels infighting between different factions. However, in the event of external attacks, it is quite simply impossible to organise elections, because the adversary is outside and we have to concentrate all our efforts on countering him,” she added, pointing out that most European countries have a provision in their constitution forbidding the holding of elections in wartime.
For his part, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reiterated the Alliance’s position that it is up to the Ukrainians to decide what they are prepared to accept within the framework of the peace agreement, but also what this might mean in terms of how they will reach a definitive peace agreement or a definitive ceasefire with the Ukrainian people. “Ultimately, the decision is up to them. (...) I have every confidence in the Ukrainian leaders and in Ukrainian democracy,” he told the media on Wednesday. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)